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A Memorable Milestone

This month, we, at Bike India, are celebrating the 19th anniversary of the magazine.

In 2005, when the management of Next Gen Publishing were preparing to launch a new magazine in the automobile space, they made a tough decision to publish two magazines: a car-only magazine, Car India, and another dedicated only to two-wheelers, Bike India. This call was taken at a time when all the other automotive magazines published in the country at that time were—and even today are—automobile magazines that cover both cars and two-wheelers in the same issue. Next Gen Publishing is the only publishing house catering individually to two-wheelers, cars, commercial vehicles, and automotive components through separate magazines.

Last month I was in Barcelona, Spain, for the first ride of the new Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 (you may read the report in this anniversary issue on page 40). I experienced no pain or fatigue even after spending nearly seven hours in the saddle. The reason for this is that I grew up riding bikes like the Norton Dominator and my brothers the Laverda 750 SF whose clutch was very heavy.

There are several back-end workers like the copy desk editor and designers who never get the credit for putting the magazine together. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire editorial team and the marketing team for their hard work day in and day out.

Finally, I would like to thank all our readers and the manufacturers for their unstinting support over the past 19 years.


Aspi Bhathena
Editor

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A Red-letter Day in Indian Motorcycling

MotoGP was held at the Buddh International Circuit last month for the very first time. MotoGP on Indian soil was a momentous event for motorcycling in the country. The who’s who of MotoGP world championship were present on the occasion.

There were a few niggles, though, such as final track homologation which took place on the Thursday before the race weekend. This led to a lot of uncertainty as to whether the race would take place or not because some of the changes required to have the circuit homologated could not be executed in time. We must give credit to the folk at Fairstreet for the success of the event.

Last month we also took part in the first ride of the TVS RTR 310 in Thailand. During the ride I asked Vimal Sumbly, the head of premium biking at TVS Motor Company, the reason for holding events such as the launch of the electric scooter in Dubai and the RTR ride in Thailand outside India. The answer was simple: he said the idea was to make TVS a global brand, not just limited to the Third World countries but also significant to the developed countries and markets.

The RTR 310 naked version was long overdue after the launch of the RR 310. This one is aimed at the KTM with streetfighter specifications. You may turn over to page 32 for our first ride report.

Indian motorcycle manufacturers like Bajaj, TVS, and Royal Enfield have come a long way with their capabilities to make world-class bikes in terms not only of looks and design, but also of performance, handling, braking, and reliability.

If our two-wheeler manufacturers are capable of making world-class bikes, why can our helmet manufacturers not make world-class helmets? At present the irony is that people can buy the best motorcycles in the world but cannot protect themselves with the best protective gear. Why can our helmet manufacturers not make good helmets to compete with international helmet manufacturers?


Aspi Bhathena
Editor